


won't you remind me that i'm not home

by SerenePanic



Series: the elder brother's life all laced in with the other's [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-23 02:02:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9635999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerenePanic/pseuds/SerenePanic
Summary: ("Hey, Kogane, you and Shirogane knew each other, right?")Shiro has been there for Keith since they met.("Yeah, I knew him.")Too bad he's not here anymore.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Jamie Grace's "This Is the Waiting"
> 
> I realize this is the third night in a row I've posted something to this series. ...Does it make it better if I say I legitimately just found this on my laptop storage, and I totally forgot I had written it?

_“Hey, Kogane, you and Shirogane knew each other, right?”_  

* * *

 

 At eight years old, Keith was quiet, and small in such a way that he might have been looked on as frail. He was shorter and weighed less than any other boys in his class, and preferred to sit and read, unlike the others who ran around outside screaming.

(He wouldn’t know it right now, but this morning would be one of the most important moments of his life.)

Standing in the Shirogane’s kitchen for the first time, he was caught between shyness and sheer exuberance. Shyness, from being in a new situation surrounded by people he didn’t know, and exuberance, because…

Well, because Keith was gazing awestruckedly at the image of the _real life space ship_ on Takashi’s phone.

“Hey, kid, say something?” Takashi sounded amused, but Keith didn’t notice.

“It’s...it’s….it’s _amazing! Do you see how the new fin design accounts for better aerodynamics?_ ”

At Keith’s outburst, Takashi grinned even harder, and threw his arm around Keith’s shoulders.

“Kid, I think we’re gonna get along.”

* * *

  _“Yeah, I knew him.”_

* * *

  _“Presumably due to pilot error, all members of the Kerberos are presumed dead.”_

* * *

 At nine, Keith had settled into the Shirogane household like he’d never been anywhere else, even if he did have a strange habit of using Takashi’s school nickname.

“Shiro, Mom said you had to take me with you after practice today!”

“Shiro, Dad said if you ditch me tonight you’re so _grounded_!”

“Shiro? I don’t understand what this problem is even about?”

“Ugh Shiro why are girls so _weird_?”

Shiro, for his part, settled into the role of older brother like he’d been born for it.

“Keith, eat the vegetables, or I’ll tell mom on you.”

“If I give you ice cream will you pretend I didn’t leave you in the library all afternoon?”

“Uh….I think it’s math? …..Hey don’t hit me! I’ll help I’ll help I swear!”

“HAHAHAHAHA. I dunno, ask Mom she’d know better?”

* * *

  _“Man, we all thought Shirogane was the best pilot of his class. How’d we get that so wrong?”_

* * *

 “Keith, stop freaking out. You love space, and flying, and disgusting amounts of orderly things. You’ll love the Garrison, and when you have to come home for the summer you’re gonna be so bummed that you don’t get to just...cram more stuff in that big old brain of yours that you’ll forget how nervous you were about leaving home in the first place.”

“...Shiro? …Never mind.

“No, really, it’s not a big deal, I’m just...like I said, never mind! Why are you so _touchy_ if you don’t wanna talk then just don’t pick up the damned phone!

“Don’t _lecture_ me you’re not even _he-_ I have to go.”

“Hey, kiddo.”

“...Aren’t you supposed to be at school right now?”

“I talked to my instructors and got some leave for the weekend. Somehow, I got the feeling that you and I need to talk about the fact that just because I’m at the Garrison now doesn’t mean I don’t want to be in your life, and it doesn’t mean that I don’t want to talk to you. So how about now, we go out for ice cream, and you tell me exactly what’s had you all twisted up inside during our last call?”

“...I’m gay, I think.”

“Oh, is that all?”

“What do you mean is that all?!”

“Oh, I mean, I figured that out _literal years ago_ , _why were you stressing so much_ , _did you really think I’d stop giving two shits about you, you harebrained little brother?_ ”

“And you lectured me about swearing?”

“Ah, that was swearing at me; and you’re like...five, you’re not supposed to swear.”

“I’m fifteen?”

“Exactly. Five.”

“Shiro, you _suck_.”

“I thought that was yo- _ouch okay I get it no jokes too soon too soon ow ow ow!_ ”

* * *

  _“Who knew that Shirogane would turn out to be such a blow-out?”_

* * *

 “TAKASHI SHIROGANE WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY HAIR?”

“Mothman is real, Shiro, and I will not tolerate any of these… _falsehoods_ about his veracity.”

“It’s not a _phase,_ it’s just something I like...MOM! SHIRO’S SAYING MOTHMAN IS JUST A PHASE AGAIN!”

* * *

  _“Hey, lighten up, just because Shirogane failed on what could have been a historic moment for mankind doesn’t mean we’re all gonna fail once we graduate!”_

* * *

 “Hey, Shiro? …I got in. Yes, while we’re at school I’ll call you by your full name, don’t worry about it.”

“Wow, _sir,_ you seem so proficient at cleaning these engines, maybe you should give a practical demonstration for my whole class, just so we all know we’re doing it _exactly right_ , Shiro- sorry, _Mr. Instructor Shirogane_.”

* * *

 “ _No! You’re lying! He’s not...He’s not dead! You’re wrong, and you’re lying, and I don’t believe you!”_

* * *

  _“Mr. Kogane, I’m afraid your recent behavior has led to your expulsion from The Galaxy Garrison. Your guardians have been notified, and are on-route to pick you up now, if you’ll follow me to the waiting area.”_

* * *

 “Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Shirogane, I’m afraid...Keith has run off. He left Garrison property sometime last night, and while I assure you we are doing our utmost to search for him-”

“If you think you can find Keith after he ran away from you, then you clearly don’t know him. Thank you, General Iverson. Your foresight and actions have lost us not only our oldest son, but also his younger brother. Please refrain from contacting us again, unless it has to do with the location of our children.”

“...Sweetheart?”

“They’re both gone… Where did we go wrong that both our boys felt they needed to leave?”

* * *

_“I know they were lying. You’re not gone because of pilot error, you were better than that. I’ll find out what Iverson was covering up if it kills me, Shiro. I promise.”_


End file.
